Real lab failures, root causes, and fixes — curated and bilingually annotated by our team.
No detectable plasmid DNA is recovered after miniprep purification. Column elution yields no nucleic acid by spectrophotometry or gel electrophoresis.
Plasmid miniprep yields are significantly below expected levels. A260/280 ratio may be normal but total DNA concentration is low.
DNA recovery from gel extraction or PCR cleanup is lower than expected based on input amount. Some DNA likely remains bound to column.
DNA yield from gel extraction is poor. Undissolved agarose particles may be visible or column flow is impeded.
No DNA is recovered after gel extraction or PCR cleanup procedures. Elution yields no measurable nucleic acid.
Plasmid DNA shows smearing on gel, poor A260/280 ratio, or fails in downstream applications despite adequate concentration. Multiple bands or reduced supercoiled form may be visible.
Purified DNA fails or performs poorly in downstream applications (transformation, restriction digestion, PCR, sequencing) despite acceptable concentration and A260/280 ratio.
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